Christotelism is a theological framework that centers on God’s eternal purpose to glorify the Son through the redemption of a people, while emphasizing the relational harmony of the Trinity, the sovereign work of grace, and God’s intimate foreknowledge of human disposition (willingness or resistance). This framework is rooted in Scripture, interpreting key texts with an emphasis on Trinitarian harmony, God’s sovereign purposes, and the Christ-centered telos (goal). Below is a hermeneutical defense of Christotelism, grounded in a coherent interpretation of biblical themes.
1. Christ-Centered Telos
Scriptural Foundation
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Colossians 1:16-18: "All things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together... so that in everything He might have the supremacy."
This passage establishes Christ as the telos, or ultimate purpose, of all creation. Christotelism identifies this purpose as the maximal glorification of the Son, with election and redemption serving this central goal.
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Ephesians 1:9-10: "He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ."
Christotelism interprets this as the Father’s sovereign plan to center all things on Christ, with election as the mechanism by which the Son is glorified through a redeemed people.
Hermeneutical Implication
1. Christ-Centered Telos
Scriptural Foundation
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Colossians 1:16-18: "All things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together... so that in everything He might have the supremacy."
This passage establishes Christ as the telos, or ultimate purpose, of all creation. Christotelism identifies this purpose as the maximal glorification of the Son, with election and redemption serving this central goal.
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Ephesians 1:9-10: "He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ."
Christotelism interprets this as the Father’s sovereign plan to center all things on Christ, with election as the mechanism by which the Son is glorified through a redeemed people.
Hermeneutical Implication
The Christ-centered telos provides the interpretive key for understanding election, foreknowledge, and predestination. Christotelism argues that these doctrines must be read in light of God’s eternal purpose to glorify Christ, ensuring a consistent focus on the relational dynamics of the Trinity and the ultimate goal of creation.
2. Relational Foreknowledge
Scriptural Foundation
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1 Peter 1:2: "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ."
Foreknowledge here is not mere intellectual awareness but an intimate, relational knowledge of the elect by the Father. This aligns with the relational nature of God as revealed throughout Scripture.
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Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you."
God’s foreknowledge is personal and relational, emphasizing His engagement with individuals in a way that reflects His sovereign plan and love.
Hermeneutical Implication
Christotelism affirms that foreknowledge is descriptive of God’s exhaustive knowledge, including human dispositions (willingness or resistance), without making it causal. This reading avoids deterministic interpretations that reduce foreknowledge to mere decrees while maintaining God’s sovereignty.
3. Unconditional Election
Scriptural Foundation
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Ephesians 1:4-5: "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will."
Election is rooted in God’s sovereign will and purpose, not in human merit or actions.
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Romans 9:11-13: "Before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad... in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by Him who calls."
Christotelism affirms the unconditional nature of election while interpreting it as part of the relational and Christ-centered plan of God.
Hermeneutical Implication
Election is not arbitrary but is part of God’s eternal purpose to glorify Christ. Christotelism interprets election as unconditional but relational, incorporating God’s foreknowledge of human disposition as reflective of His relational engagement with creation, not as a basis for His choice.
4. Trinitarian Harmony
Scriptural Foundation
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John 17:1-5: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him."
This passage highlights the Trinitarian cooperation in salvation, with the Father giving a people to the Son for His glorification.
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John 6:37-39: "All those the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away."
Christotelism interprets this as the Father’s conceptualization, the Son’s mediation, and the Spirit’s actualization working in perfect unity to accomplish the Christ-centered telos.
Hermeneutical Implication
Christotelism reads Scripture through a Trinitarian lens, emphasizing the roles of the Father (conceptualization), Son (mediation), and Spirit (actualization) in salvation. This relational focus enriches the understanding of God’s eternal plan.
5. Human Responsibility and Divine Sovereignty
Scriptural Foundation
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Matthew 23:37: "How often I have longed to gather your children together... but you were not willing."
Human responsibility and willingness are real, though they operate within the context of God’s sovereign plan.
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Philippians 2:12-13: "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose."
Christotelism interprets this as evidence of relational sovereignty, where God’s enabling grace operates harmoniously with human willingness.
Hermeneutical Implication
Christotelism balances human responsibility and divine sovereignty, affirming that willingness or resistance is relationally foreknown by God but only actualized through His sovereign grace. This ensures consistency with the biblical tension between God’s control and human freedom.
6. The Ultimate Fulfillment in Christ
Scriptural Foundation
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Revelation 21:3-4: "They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes."
The culmination of God’s plan is eternal communion between Christ and His redeemed people, fulfilling the Christ-centered telos.
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Colossians 1:19-20: "For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things."
Christotelism interprets this as the culmination of the Trinitarian plan, where all things are reconciled under Christ’s headship.
Hermeneutical Implication
Christotelism provides a coherent eschatological vision that integrates God’s sovereign election, relational foreknowledge, and Trinitarian harmony into the ultimate fulfillment of His purpose in Christ.
Conclusion
Christotelism offers a hermeneutically robust framework that unites key biblical themes—God’s sovereignty, relational foreknowledge, Trinitarian harmony, and the Christ-centered telos—into a coherent theological vision. By emphasizing Scripture’s focus on Christ’s glorification and God’s relational engagement with humanity, Christotelism refines traditional doctrines like election and foreknowledge without compromising biblical fidelity. Its focus on the relational and Trinitarian dimensions of God’s plan provides a compelling, biblically grounded alternative to deterministic and impersonal theological models, ensuring that every facet of salvation reflects God’s eternal purpose to glorify the Son.
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